Create Your Own Speckled Nails!

For the past few weeks I have been seriously lusting after the Illamasqua Speckled Nail Polishes, but at £14.50 a bottle (here) I just knew I couldn't give in. 

But then I realised that speckled polishes are very much similar to what nail polish addicts call 'jelly sandwich' nails which is created by sandwiching a glitter nail polish between two layers of a sheer nail polish. So I decided to give it a go! 

 Now I realise these nails aren't that similar in shade to the Illamasqua nail polishes however I think the new L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat (£4.99 Superdrug here or Boots) with any sheer pastel nail polish would be so similar to the Illamasqua ones. I just need to get my hands on the L'Oreal top coat to try it out. 

I decided to go for multi-coloured speckled nails as for the past few days the sun has been shining, which can only mean one thing - Spring is on it's way! Which also means Easter is also near (I may have already consumed one Easter egg already!) and I thought speckled egg nails would look really nice. 

How I achieved my speckled nails... 

• First I decided to start with my all time favourite base coat, the Essie Ridge Filler (£8.55 Feel Unique here) which really smooths out the nails and acts like a foundation for the nail bed. Really great for older nails or anyone that has ridges due to wearing nail polish too often - like me! 
• Next I applied a very thin coat of a nude Color Club nail polish, I don't actually know the name of this, but I do highly rate bother Essie and Colour Club for quite sheer french manicure shades. You really want to go for a nude that is quite sheer with one coat. 
• Once that had dried I next applied Technic Carnival evenly over my nails. I absolutely LOVE this polish and it is just so cheap. Amazon - £1.90 free p&p here. Ebay - £1.85 with p&p here. 
•  I then let my nails fully dry - this is quite an important step as you don't want the glitter to drag off the nails with the next step. 
• Next with the least amount of nail polish on my brush I applied the Colour Club nude polish over my nails to create the Jelly Sandwich. If you find the polish is covering the glitter underneath too much, just wipe off the excess onto the bottle neck and sweep over the nail again. 
• My nails here are without a top coat but you can add a glossy top coat or even a matte one - Models Own do a great one.

 

 

As the nails may have 4 layers of nail polish on them with a base coat or top coat, it is important you let the nails fully dry as there is nothing worse than smudging nails you have spent time over! 

What I love about these nails is that you have effectively created your own unique nail polish by just suspending a glitter nail polish between two layers of a creme nail polish and also the finish of the nails is so smooth unlike when you just apply a glitter top coat over a base nail colour. 

I'm really impressed with how these nails turned out and now just want to get my mitts on the new L'Oreal Confetti nail polish to try out more combinations! 

Fee xo.